Time-saving shortcuts for common web tasks

If you've been using the Internet for a while, you have probably developed certain habits in how you do things.

Take a look at some of these shortcuts. They won't save enough time for you to read War and Peace, but a few seconds here and there does make you more efficient.


COPY, PASTE AND SAVE BITS OF TEXT FROM THE WEB

The old way: Drag your mouse to highlight text. Copy text and paste text to a new document in your word processor. Save document. Hope that you remember the filename you assigned it and where you saved it.

The new way: Drag your mouse to highlight text. Use one of the instant web clipboards to copy and save in one step.

Tools:
Google Notebook
Clipmarks


FILLING IN WEB FORMS

The old way: Type your name, address, email, etc. in the form whenever you order something or subscribe to something online. If your password is needed, you guess or look it up.

The new way: Use an automatic form filler that saves your data in a private file on your computer.

Tools:
Roboform
Firefox extensions (search for form filler)
Internet Explorer add ons (search for form filler)


READING NEWS AND BLOGS:

The old way: Visit one news or blog site after another. Check to see if there is any new content.

The new way: Use an RSS reader (RSS = "really simple syndication") to see all your favorite blog updates and news feeds in one single window. If there is new content, it is automatically displayed.

Tools
Google Reader
Bloglines


SEARCH ENGINE SEARCHING

The old way: Type google.com (or other search engine) into your URL box. Wait for the page to load. Type in your search terms and hit enter to get search results.

The new way: Use the search box built into your browser. Firefox, Safari, and the latest version of Internet Explorer have a search box in the upper right corner of the browser window. You can even add more search tools.

Or, download and install your favorite search engine's add-on toolbar, which sits at the top of your browser window at all times. In addition to giving you a box to enter your search terms, the toolbars can be customized to block popups, display security warnings, and have links to your favorite websites

Tools:
Google toolbar
Yahoo toolbar
Dogpile toolbar


ACCESS TO REFERENCE TOOLS, CALCULATOR, WEATHER REPORTS, FLIGHT INFO

The old way: Go to a search engine. Search for dictionaries, encyclopedias, weather, maps, etc. and click to visit the website. Enter your information and get the result.

The new way:

Download and customize a search engine toolbar (see above)
Or, use "widgets" or "gadgets" that you download to your desktop. These are mini-applications that connect you to online services, giving you direct access to calculators, news feeds, work time recorders, sticky notes, stock prices, games and more.

Tools:
Widgets are already installed in Mac operating systems, and in Windows Vista. There are hundreds more at the Apple and Microsoft websites.

You can also use Yahoo Widgets or Google Desktop Gadgets.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Add, remove, rearrange pages in PDF files

In a recent post I listed some free sources for converting files to PDF and other formats.

Here's a resource to rearrange pages and combine existing PDF files: PDF Hammer.




The service is still in "beta" (not ready for prime time.) They bill themselves as a PDF editor, but as far as I can tell, you can only manipulate the pages, not the text.

However, it's still handy for pulling apart pages from one PDF file and adding them to another PDF file.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Free alternatives to Adobe Acrobat

When you download a file in PDF format, the software that you use to read it is free. Adobe Reader (formerly Acrobat Reader) is the most popular tool for viewing PDF files, but it is not the only alternative. It can be sluggish and use lots of computer memory.

And, while Adobe provides a free reader to view PDF files, the company charges a hefty fee for their Adobe Acrobat program to create PDF files - e.g., for documents, ebooks, brochures, etc.

The Codswallop blog lists over 50 free alternatives to Adobe Reader and Adobe Acrobat. These include some advanced features such as encryption, compression and interactive forms. Many of the resources listed there are far more technological than I'll ever use, but just reading through them gives you an idea of all the things you can do with your content.

If all you're looking for is a quick way to convert Word to PDF, I recommend Zamzar or Media-Convert.

Fellow Mac users have PDF creation built into the Print function. Simply click to "print" your document, and in the popup window choose the PDF dropdown menu. This results in a very basic PDF document. For additional features you'll need to use Adobe or one of the programs listed in the Codwallop blog.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

SpokenText: Convert text to mp3

Confession: I download a lot of documents and web pages, and even print some of them out - with the full intention of reading them. But to be honest, I end up reading only a fraction of what I save. There just doesn't seem to be enough time to read everything I want to .

If you also have trouble keeping up with reading electronic documents, a solution is now available. My web designer, Linda Chapman, alerted me to SpokenText, a web-based service that converts documents, emails and even web pages to speech, and produces audio files that you can download to your iPod or mp3 player.

Listen to the audios in the car, while walking the dog, doing household chores, exercising, etc. Since the speech is robot-generated, you probably won't want to use this service for entertainment-type reading. But for brief, informational pieces, it's ideal.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Tips for keeping track of passwords

A recent article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer warned about using obvious passwords when signing onto websites. Typcial no-nos are your name, address, birthday, pet's name or any other word/letter combinations that others could guess.

The writer suggests a few options, including this one: Think of a phrase that you will easily remember. Then take the first letter of each word in that phrase, and combine them all into a password.

For example, for the phrase: "Chocolate is my number 1 favorite food" - The password from that phrase is cimn1ff. This contains both letters and a number, as required by many secure websites.

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Even so, keeping track of your passwords can be a challenge. I know a couple of people who write them on paper notes stuck to the sides of their monitors!

Roboform is a much better idea. It stores and encrypts your passwords, logs you in automatically to secure sites, automatically fills out registration and checkout forms, and more. There's a free and a"Pro" version - but the free version will probably have everything you need.

Unfortunately Roboform is available only for Windows.

Mac users: You have have Keychain.app within your OS X operating system. It stores your passwords, but does not do any of the other functions found in Roboform. The Mac alternative to Roboform is 1passwd. It costs $29.95. A free program, with limited features is PasswordVault Lite. They also offer Standard and Pro editions for a fee.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

400 Online Productivity Tools

The folks at mashable.com have come up with a list of over 400 online resources, listed by category, for getting your work done.

Many of these resources are adequate substitutes for programs that you've been been using offline - e.g., word processing, calendar, contact manager, etc. Instead of opening a program on your computer, you access it online via your web browser.

The list at mashable.com includes the following categories: Word processing, web portals, calendar services, contact management, communication, charting and diagrams, mapping, file storage, RSS readers (very extensive list), mobile RSS readers, other RSS services and plugins, social networking tools, and keyboard shortcuts.

Most of the online resources listed at mashable.com are free. And because they're online, you can access them (and your documents) from any computer with an internet connection.

Although you can't beat free and convenient, there is a downside. I've found that even with a cable internet connection, online productivity programs can be sluggish. For example, saving pages in word processing takes a few more seconds than with the word processor that resides on your hard drive.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Link all your phone numbers to a single source

A couple of months ago I signed up for a free service called GrandCentral. They give you a phone number in your own area code, if available (USA only,) which controls all your calls and voicemails to all your various phone numbers - home, work, cell.

No need to give out all your various phone numbers. Just give your contacts your GrandCentral phone number. It will forward ringing and voicemail to any phone number that you choose - even several phones at once. For example, you can set your cell phone and home phone to ring at the same time - which is handy if you are expecting an important call. Or, you can set only one phone to ring, keeping your other lines silent.

Your GrandCentral phone number is permanent. Thus, if you change your home, work or cell phone number, there is no need to inform your contacts. They can continue to use your GrandCentral phone number, which you will simply forward to your new private number.

Forwarding calls to any and all of your phones is just one of many features. GrandCentral enables you to screen out selected callers or send them to a voicemail box for "spam" messages. You can also listen to voicemail as it's being recorded (rather than waiting till after it's recorded), check voicemail on the Web, and change from talking on a cell phone to a landline phone in the middle of a call without hanging up - useful when your cell reception starts to break up while talking.

Setting up your GrandCentral service takes a bit of effort, but if you want to have more control over your incoming phone calls and messages, it's worth a try.

GrandCentral was just acquired by Google. They are giving out phone numbers only by invitation at this point. I have 5 invites. If you're interested, write to me, and I'll get you started.


Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Time to rethink your start page?

For many years I've used Yahoo as my home page - the page that loads automatically when I open a new browser window. At the time I set it up, it was one of the few services that enabled me to customize the content of my start page. I could choose the color and the layout in which to display various news links, movie times, weather, reference links and bookmarks.

But I'm now looking at other options. There are newer services that offer even more customization, making your start page a convenient portal to the web as you want it. Here are some services to try:

Netvibes: Select from among thousands of modules and RSS feeds. It's a snap to set up - just drag and drop widgets onto you private netvibes page. Netvibes is also a great RSS reader - you can subscribe to blogs and other content from various websites, and read it all from within your netvibes page.

Webwag: In addition to a large selection of content widgets, there is a "Widget On Demand" tool that lets you capture content from any website. Whenever the content of that website changes, you'll see the change within the customized widget on your webwag page.

iGoogle: If you like to use a lot of Google services, this is the most convenient place to access them all on one page. You can also create widgets with your own content - e.g., photo frames, countdown to an event, your own Top 10 list and more.

Don't feel like taking the time to customize a start page, but still want up-to-date content and variety? Start using one of the above with the content they already provide. You can change it at any time. Or try one of the "pre-fab" start pages at:

• Yahoo
• AOL (You don't have to be a subscriber)
• FunkyHomePage No need to register - just give your country and region to include news and other geography-specific content.

Pauline
teachmeinternet.com

Search Engine for product reviews and rankings

Are you the type of person who does a lot of research before buying certain items? Do you try to read as many reviews as you can, check ratings charts and compare prices? I bet that takes a lot of time.

Now you no longer have to surf from one website to another to gather the information you need. Wize.com does it for you. It's a search engine for product reviews, buying guides and rankings, delivering the aggregated results all in one place.

According to the wize.com website, it "searches more than 7,151 websites, ranks almost 30,419 products and features more than a million user and expert reviews."


. . . Now that you've got a great research source, let's talk about that need to make sure you get the absolute best possible combination of features and price. Studies have shown that people who do a lot of research before buying, are apt to feel LESS satisfied with their purchases than those who settle for good enough!

Psychologist Barry Schwartz calls such people "maximizers" and attributes their dissatisfaction to having too many choices. See his article, "The Tyranny of Choice."

Take an online quiz to help determine if you are a maximiser.

Pauline
TeachMeInternet.com

3 options for sending large files

If you need to send someone a large file (movies, music, etc.) you probably won't be able to attach it to an email message through your regular email program such as Outlook Express or Mac Mail.app. These usually have limits on the size of file attachments. But there are other options:


1. Use an online file transfer service such as yousendit.com. Simply upload the file to yousendit, and type in your recipient's name. The recipient will get an email from yousendit with a link to download the file.


2. Get your own online storage. At MyOtherDrive.com you can get up to 5 gigs of storage free. And unlike yousendit.com, you can upload multiple files at the same time.


3. Use a web email address. When you log into your email account on the web, you bypass the limits set by your regular email program. Get a free web email address at one of the following:

GMail: Send attachments up to 20 megabytes

Mail2WebLive: Send attachments up to 100 megabytes

Lycos mail: UNLIMITED attachment size!


NOTE: Keep in mind that when you email a huge file to someone, they have to download it at their end. If they have a slow email connection, it will clog the downloading of their other messages.

Therefore, to be courteous, ask your recipients how they prefer to receive the large file - via email or via download from a service such as yousendit.com or myotherdrive.com

Pauline
TeachMeInternet.com